Ciao to everyone,
well, here on my satellite they don't give you much choice, and while waiting to smuggle in some real tea, I try what I can find. In Padua we have a 'Peter's tea house' chain shop, and they just sell some fancy teaware, many herbal teas, a few oolong and fewer China greens.
I am trying this Dong Ding and this is what, in my inexperience, I think.
1 It was so long since I had some real tea that at first I thought it's lovely.
2 Further brewings were not so good: the flavor does not seem to really 'start' but, if I try to push it with higher temperatures, the tea turns bitter.
3 Looking at the leaves, I find many big green leafs, some red leafs, very few small leafs on a stick.
4 After the first infusions it sometimes grows a mild, sweetish 'damp cloth like' flavor (sorry, my English does not find a better way to name it).
5 The worse: it gives me headache, To be honest, I have to say that I'm prone to headache: for instance, I can't wear perfumes because I know that after a short while I'm having a savage headache. But I can wear natural essences, as they don't affect me in anyway.
Suggestions, comments, etc. welcome.
Thanks to all.
A
Yes, I'm longing for having the tea I ordered in October. Don't you have any problems with customs in Romania?Oni wrote:Be careful with taiwanese tea, it is out there somewhere but there are a lot of fakes and lots of the farmers use illegal chemicals in the process, so ask around for a good vendor, some recpmended Houdeasianart.com some Dragon teahouse.
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Dong Ding will break your heart, it is fickle and inconsistent of all oolongs.
Try to find another you like, lighter roast high mountain. Less processing.
Good luck.
Try to find another you like, lighter roast high mountain. Less processing.
Good luck.
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
I get headaches sometimes from oolongs that are too "greeny" without accompanying mellowness, like butteryness, nuttiness, etc. This also happens to several friends of mine, including workers in different tea shops and even an owner/vendor.
My personal theory is because certain types of very green oolongs spark stomach acidity and this immediately gives a headache. I am a person who is not at all prone to headaches and it still happens to me. Perhaps some people would explain that the chi is too "cold" and it's too much cold for some of us. I don't know if you are male or female but I find this seems to happen to females more than males although I know a guy it happens to as well (he's got a sensitive digestion as well, but he has worked in a tea shop for years). edit: None of the teas I'm speaking of were flavored or necessarily low in quality.
BTW I love oolong tea. Dong Ding can be one of my favorites. But every crop, and every vendor's tea is unique in my experience. Try different ones.
My personal theory is because certain types of very green oolongs spark stomach acidity and this immediately gives a headache. I am a person who is not at all prone to headaches and it still happens to me. Perhaps some people would explain that the chi is too "cold" and it's too much cold for some of us. I don't know if you are male or female but I find this seems to happen to females more than males although I know a guy it happens to as well (he's got a sensitive digestion as well, but he has worked in a tea shop for years). edit: None of the teas I'm speaking of were flavored or necessarily low in quality.
BTW I love oolong tea. Dong Ding can be one of my favorites. But every crop, and every vendor's tea is unique in my experience. Try different ones.
Dec 2nd, '08, 10:37
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I sometimes wonder about this with some greener oolongs that have a floral scent, was it added to create an illusion of higher quality. I have one TKY right now that I strongly suspect.Jayaratna wrote:No other tea gave me headache before. I have a feeling that this could be flavored (artificially).
There is a lot of Dong Ding out there that is not grown on DD, the name in some circles is simply synonymous with the style of oolong. Crazy. But the fact is, there is way more demand for DD than there is leaf. This is becoming more and more common with more and more teas. Darjeeling for instance.
I may be wrong, but the higher mountain oolongs tend to be more or less organic even though they are often NOT certified organic. However with some of the chaos going on right now, the best advice is to buy only from vendors you trust ... and even then ask questions.
I have enjoyed as many DDs as I have disliked, but it is very frustrating to say the least.
If a tea is giving you a headache and it is only that one selection, by all means, keep it for now but move on to another.
Just so you know, as for organic certification, I was watching a webcast the other day (don't remember whose, maybe Seven Cups actually) and apparently it's like $5000 to be "certified" organic, and some smaller places just really can't set aside that kind of money. A lot of the tea in the higher end shops is organic, but the origin just didn't purchase the certification.Chip wrote:I may be wrong, but the higher mountain oolongs tend to be more or less organic even though they are often NOT certified organic. However with some of the chaos going on right now, the best advice is to buy only from vendors you trust ... and even then ask questions.
Oni wrote: In my country if you are slick enough you never pay customs, I bought teaware above 200$ and I have paid no tax, I even avoided the invoice.
Well, why this does not happen with green teas then?Janine wrote:I get headaches sometimes from oolongs that are too "greeny" without accompanying mellowness, like butteryness, nuttiness, etc. This also happens to several friends of mine, including workers in different tea shops and even an owner/vendor.
I'm a male...Janine wrote:I don't know if you are male or female but I find this seems to happen to females more than males although I know a guy it happens to as well (he's got a sensitive digestion as well, but he has worked in a tea shop for years).
Anyway usually headache happens with strong smells, but almost never with 'natural' ones: they can be bad enough, but if it's not some artificial stuff it does not affect me. Chocolate too, after years of abuse, hits me if I go on eating it for several days, but that depends on quality too...I tried both with and without rinsing.edkrueger wrote:Did you rinse the tea?
HI Jay,
IMO there is a very different quality to beautiful greens (including Japanese) and some very strong green oolongs. It hits you immediately when you taste it and realize its strength.
I have a theory it's related to tannins but I couldn't verify that. I do think it's related to the effect on stomach acidity. Caffeine is also related to this which could explain why eating a lot of chocolate (or for several days) has an effect for you.
Edit: You could also try brewing lighter and see if it makes a difference.
IMO there is a very different quality to beautiful greens (including Japanese) and some very strong green oolongs. It hits you immediately when you taste it and realize its strength.
I have a theory it's related to tannins but I couldn't verify that. I do think it's related to the effect on stomach acidity. Caffeine is also related to this which could explain why eating a lot of chocolate (or for several days) has an effect for you.
Edit: You could also try brewing lighter and see if it makes a difference.
Well, from a Chinese medicine perspective, I believe that this particular tea has a rising action on your Qi 氣 Therefore, this causes a headache as the qi is not flowing properly (rising too much). I get a similar problem with long jing. IMO, doesn't have anything to do with pesticides or caffeine (do you get a headache without washing your vegetables?) - just the wrong tea for you!Jayaratna wrote:Well, why this does not happen with green teas then?